Oh, the places I go when I’m not writing

Oh, the places I go when I’m not writing

I had a blast this past Saturday night and you’ll never guess where. Neither you nor I could have expected me to say I went to an AC/DC tribute band concert, but that’s exactly what I did. I didn’t go as a closet AC/DC fan. I didn’t just happen to drop in. I didn’t do it on a dare. I went as a mom. My oldest son is a drummer, and Fuse Box is his latest band.

It’s always exciting to hear, and watch, him play, but he’s always been in bar bands that covered 80s-90s rock songs. And though his personal tastes were often harder than the music those bands played, I don’t remember him talking about AC/DC. Nor did I ever expect to see him play in front of such a large crowd in a concert venue.

Besides being a proud mom, I enjoyed the show. I was familiar with more tunes than I knew, they sounded great, despite the singer not having a voice all week because of a cold, and once again, I wondered why music is not as big a part of my life as it used to be.

I guess the answer to that wondering is that I write now. The only music I can listen to while I write is classical. Anything with a lyric distracts me. Anything with a beat has me chair dancing. I used to listen to music in the car, but I don’t drive much nowadays and when I do, I usually prefer silence because I’m thinking about what I’m writing.

Besides not having enough music in my life, I really need to get out more—I’m sure I’ve said that before on this blog. Not that I plan on writing about musicians, or concert, club, or bar goers, but you never know when you might see a person who sparks a fascinating character or overhear a conversation that your writer’s mind transforms into a terrific story.

I’m not saying we should cruise high-crime areas or engage in any other dangerous activity, but it never hurts to stretch a little, to toss your net into new waters to see what you catch. That advice is for myself as much as anyone. Fiction writers need imagination, but if we expect others to relate, we need to base that fiction on real life.

Okay, as you probably expected, I’m going to share a short video clip with you—short because I had no idea how long I could record on my phone. Next time, I’ll record at least one whole song. And, of course, they sound better than my phone picks up. Rock on.

19 thoughts on “Oh, the places I go when I’m not writing”

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Your son is very talented and more importantly, he is doing something he loves. My son plays in a band as well and I have had the opportunity to listen to him play. He dedicated an Elvis song to me,”That’s All Right Momma”. His band, The Straight Jackets, play a mixture of tunes from the 50s to current day stuff. Todd is a father of four and has a demanding day job but still finds time to do what he loves. We must have encouraged that in our sons.

Thank you, Darlene. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to do something you love. He’s a father of three and a hard worker, so I’m happy he has this chance to live out his dream. And you’re right, I can’t fault him for doing that, can I? 🙂

What a great moment for you to cherish as you watched your son do something he enjoys!

Wow! This sure brings back memories! Suddenly I have the urge to strap on my “roller skates”, head out to Starlite Skate Center, and fly around the rink backwards. Not to mention the adrenaline spike was just what I needed before heading to the gym.

My hubs and I try to do a few things a year that we have never done before. We do exclude things that could result in death or serious injury – of course – but even the smallest outings add a measure of new perspective and joy to our lives. So I agree – stretching is always good.

I’m listening to my son’s piano lesson now as I read this post–how appropriate!!! I’ll have to come back later and listen to the video though as I don’t want to inetrupt the lesson! lol
That must have been such a kick to see, LInda! Wonderful!! 🙂

Sometimes when I’m writing I need silence. What I’ve noticed is I need that silence when I’m not sure where I’m going. When I’m deep in it anything can be playing and it’s just background noise that I don’t really hear. Sometimes I need classical, sometimes I need lyrics, depending on my mood, and it’ll change during the writing session as well.

I wrote Brevity in silence, but when I started writing my second book, my husband (TV addict) was “retired” and not only the noise, but just his presence was a HUGE distraction. Only in the last couple of months have I been able to block him out enough to get deep into writing, and then, as you said, I don’t really hear anything. I’m anticipating the next book will take much less time to write.